Whole Wheat Pasta

John Gaughan said:

Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and toss in olive oil.

WHY? That's all I wanna know.. WHY would you rinse in *any* pasta that just boiled in water?? It
just makes no sense to me whatsoever. Goomba

Goomba38 said:

John Gaughan said:

Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and toss in olive oil.

WHY? That's all I wanna know.. WHY would you rinse in *any* pasta that just boiled in water?? It
just makes no sense to me whatsoever. Goomba

Yes, and I have to add, is the OP tossing in olive oil because that's the "sauce" he speaks of? (I
often enjoy pasta simply tossed with olive oil and some herbs.) Or is he expecting some other sort
of "sauce" to cling to the pasta after it's been tossed in oil?

Jill

John Gaughan wrote: Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and toss

Quoted message said:

in olive oil.

Pasta cooking 101

Bring water to a boil in a large pot, at least 3 litres of water. Add a good handful of sea salt.
Add pasta and cook for about a minute less than the recommended time, stirring occaisionally. In a
seperate pan, cook your sauce. When the pasta is done, drain lightly (you want some of the water)
but do not throw away all of the water Add pasta to the sauce in the sauce pan Stir well, add a
ladle or so of the pasta cooking water and stir again Let the pasta cook for a minute to absorb the
flavor of the sauce. Plate and serve.

Cristina in Italy
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"jmcquown" <[email hidden]> wrote in
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Quoted message said:

Goomba38 said:

John Gaughan said:

Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and toss in olive oil.

WHY? That's all I wanna know.. WHY would you rinse in *any* pasta that just boiled in water?? It
just makes no sense to me whatsoever. Goomba

Yes, and I have to add, is the OP tossing in olive oil because that's the "sauce" he speaks of? (I
often enjoy pasta simply tossed with olive oil and some herbs.) Or is he expecting some other sort
of "sauce" to cling to the pasta after it's been tossed in oil?

Jill

I do what the OP says only when I'm saving the pasta for use later. Like in a stir fry or pasta
salad. I find rinsing and oil stop the pasta from sticking together.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Goomba38 said:

John Gaughan said:

Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and toss in olive oil.

WHY? That's all I wanna know.. WHY would you rinse in *any* pasta that just boiled in water?? It
just makes no sense to me whatsoever. Goomba

'cause it tastes "cleaner", at least to me. Keeps it from being as sticky, sticking to itself.

That's the only reason I do it. :-)

Depends on how much water I used and how starchy the boiling water gets. I don't rinse 100%
of the time.

Now I use rice or corn pasta, and I never have to rinse corn pasta. :-) De-bohls is great for
coeliacs.......

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jmcquown said:

Goomba38 said:

John Gaughan said:

Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and toss in olive oil.

WHY? That's all I wanna know.. WHY would you rinse in *any* pasta that just boiled in water?? It
just makes no sense to me whatsoever. Goomba

Yes, and I have to add, is the OP tossing in olive oil because that's the "sauce" he speaks of? (I
often enjoy pasta simply tossed with olive oil and some herbs.) Or is he expecting some other sort
of "sauce" to cling to the pasta after it's been tossed in oil?

Jill

My dad makes a _killer_ pasta dish served in a clam sauce that is heavy in olive oil........

Might have to ask him to make that today! I'm kinda in the mood for something that spicy. :-)

Clams vangole.

OhMyGod........

K.

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Katra said:

'cause it tastes "cleaner", at least to me. Keeps it from being as sticky, sticking to itself.

If it is sticking together you are cooking it for too long.

Cristina
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Katra said:

Clams vangole.

Vongole which just means clams in Italian.

Cristina

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In rec.food.cooking said:

Pasta cooking 101

Quoted message said:

Bring water to a boil in a large pot, at least 3 litres of water. Add a good handful of sea salt.

A handful!? Really?

--
...I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

In rec.food.cooking said:

I do what the OP says only when I'm saving the pasta for use later. Like in a stir fry or pasta
salad. I find rinsing and oil stop the pasta from sticking together.

We've been through all this before. The bottom line is that the ilitarete immagrents that Sheldon
hung out with as a boy didn't do either thing, so it is ipso facto WRONG.

HTH.

--
...I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

John Gaughan said:

I tried whole wheat pasta the other day. My wife and I both think it tastes good, but it does not
hold sauce well. Most likely this is due to the fact that it has less starch, which helps bond
sauce to the pasta.

Is this true of all whole wheat pasta? What brands do you guys recommend? Any cooking tips, should
I cook it differently than normal pasta? Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and
toss in olive oil.

Try different brands. Having said that, I don't have any problem with home-made whole wheat pasta,
so I can't recommend any particular brand.

You might try a ridged whole wheat pasta shape.

Also, finish the pasta as christina suggests by cooking it for a few minutes in the sauce.

Just in case you're doing this: remember, a plate of plain pasta topped with a dollop of sauce makes
a pretty picture for advertising, but that's not the way pasta should really be served. Add the
sauce to the pasta before serving and don't add too much!

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 05:53:51 -0500, Goomba38 <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

John Gaughan said:

Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and toss in olive oil.

WHY? That's all I wanna know.. WHY would you rinse in *any* pasta that just boiled in water?? It
just makes no sense to me whatsoever. Goomba

It depends on the brand. I have tried pasta that leached out so much starch that it left gunk on the
bottom of the pan. Needless to say, I didn't use that brand again.

The answer for John, if that's the problem, is to switch brands!

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

On Sat, 28 Feb 2004 16:03:53 +0000 (UTC), [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

In rec.food.cooking said:

Pasta cooking 101

Quoted message said:

Bring water to a boil in a large pot, at least 3 litres of water. Add a good handful of sea salt.

A handful!? Really?

I've heard that the water is supposed to be as salty as the sea. Having never had seawater, that's a
little vague ;>

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Curly Sue said:

Quoted message said:

In rec.food.cooking said:

Pasta cooking 101

Quoted message said:

Bring water to a boil in a large pot, at least 3 litres of water. Add a good handful of
sea salt.

A handful!? Really?

I've heard that the water is supposed to be as salty as the sea. Having never had seawater, that's
a little vague ;>

Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

I've accidentally gulped down seawater in the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. I can
assure you, it's very salty! Hmm, that's why people love 'sea salt' ?

Jill

"John Gaughan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I tried whole wheat pasta the other day. My wife and I both think it tastes good, but it does not
hold sauce well. Most likely this is due to the fact that it has less starch, which helps bond
sauce to the pasta.

Is this true of all whole wheat pasta? What brands do you guys recommend? Any cooking tips, should
I cook it differently than normal pasta? Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water,
and toss in olive oil.

--
John Gaughan johngaughan.netjohngaughan.netOpen ↗ [email hidden]

Try skipping the rinsing and the olive oil, that will help some. Unless the olive oil is your sauce!
Rinsing will wash away what starch there is, and that will cause your sauce not to stick at all. If
you use enough water to boil it in, you don't need to rinse it anyway. I don't recall the name of
the brand we use, unfortunately, but I can tell you we get it at the Italian deli in Little Italy
and it's imported from Italy. It's better than the brands we tried from the grocery store and holds
up better for leftovers.

kimberly

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cristina' siena_us(REMOVE BEFORE SENDING)@libero.it said:

Katra said:

'cause it tastes "cleaner", at least to me. Keeps it from being as sticky, sticking to itself.

If it is sticking together you are cooking it for too long.

Cristina

Probably, but I don't like pasta "aldente" or however you spell it. I like it softer.

K.

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cristina' siena_us(REMOVE BEFORE SENDING)@libero.it said:

Katra said:

Clams vangole.

Vongole which just means clams in Italian.

Cristina

Oops! %-) That is what dad always called his recipe.......

It is very good tho'. He serves it over linguine. Lots of olive oil, baby clams, garlic and onions.

K.

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"John Gaughan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I tried whole wheat pasta the other day. My wife and I both think it tastes good, but it does not
hold sauce well. Most likely this is due to the fact that it has less starch, which helps bond
sauce to the pasta.

Is this true of all whole wheat pasta? What brands do you guys recommend? Any cooking tips, should
I cook it differently than normal pasta? Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water,
and toss in olive oil.

--
John Gaughan johngaughan.netjohngaughan.netOpen ↗ [email hidden]

Trader Joe's sells a whole wheat penne which I find very satisfying. Currently (at least in Los
Angeles) they are not selling, because, according to the manager I asked there, they are going
through a standard nutritional evaluation (never heard of that before, but I hope the label is still
valid because, in addition to [or because of] the value of the fiber, you get about a 1/3 more pasta
for the caloric equivalent of non-whole wheat [half wheat?]). In the absence of the penne, the
linguini is fine; I have a personal preference for the penne. I cook the penne about 8 minutes and
the linguini for 5 because of their relative densities. It's cheap, too, a buck for a pound, whereas
Whole Foods sells their house brand of whole wheat pasta for 2.29.

While I'm getting the pasta ready (about a 15 minute process, all in), I brown a little ground
turkey with garlic, onion and parsley then remove and stir up some more onion, garlic and diced
vegetables du jour -- I like julienne eggplant (pre-baked and split,at 350 for an hour, then pre-
cooled) mushrooms and maybe some peppers adding whatever spice I'm in the mood for. Simmer in about
a cup of tomato sauce (thinned w/water as needed), a little red wine and about a tablespoon of
tomato paste, returning the browned meat and then a few more pinches of fresh minced parsley for
color on the final serve (and maybe a little sugar). Yum. Did it last night, in fact.

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Quoted message said:

In rec.food.cooking said:

Pasta cooking 101

Quoted message said:

Bring water to a boil in a large pot, at least 3 litres of water. Add a good handful of
sea salt.

A handful!? Really?

I questioned that as well... Been eating low sodium now for a long time, and that sounded _gross_.

I do use a bit of salt in my boiling water, but no more than 1 tsp., usually less.

K.

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